The Sharjah Court of Appeal has sentenced three individuals to one year in prison followed by deportation for defrauding a man through a fake apartment rental scheme.
The court found the three guilty of falsely claiming they had the authority to lease a residential unit they did not own, enabling them to collect money from the victim. It also upheld the confiscation of items seized in connection with the case.
According to court records, the suspects advertised a residential unit for rent on social media at an attractive price to lure prospective tenants.
The victim contacted the phone numbers listed in the advertisement, inspected the apartment, and agreed to rent it. He then paid part of the rental fee and submitted the required documents while waiting for the official lease contract.
One of the accused later sent the victim a purported lease agreement, claiming it authorized him to occupy the property.
The victim, however, decided to verify the document with the relevant authorities and discovered that the apartment belonged to someone else. Officials also found that the details in the lease agreement did not match official records.
After realizing he had been scammed, the victim reported the incident to authorities, prompting an investigation that led to the arrest and prosecution of the three suspects.
The Sharjah Misdemeanours Court had initially sentenced the defendants to three months in prison followed by deportation. However, the Public Prosecution appealed the decision, seeking a harsher penalty.
The Sharjah Court of Appeal granted the appeal, increasing the sentence to one year in prison followed by deportation, while affirming the confiscation order.
